Loleatta Holloway: Loleatta - 1976

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Some three years or so after the first orchestrated stirrings of disco featured in several reviews above came this album from Loleatta Holloway, notable for the electro-fuzz guitar backing of its truly excellent disco hit, Hit And Run. 

We're Getting Stronger (The Longer We Stay Together) is sort of routine brassy and catchy disco soul fare featuring one of those typical spoken bits near the end. Dreamin' is regular but attractive disco soul with another spoken ending. Loleatta goes all Millie Jackson for a while. Ripped Off kicks some brassy ass too. 

Like many "disco" albums, however, there is a fair sprinkling of big soul ballads to be found, such as Is It Just A Man's Way? and the sumptuous Worn Out Broken Heart, which shows off Loleatta's strong soulful voice.  

That's How Heartaches Are Made is a mid pace number with hints of Dionne Warwick and Candi Staton. What Now is also a fine ballad. Although perfectly pleasant, there's actually nothing particularly standout on this album, to be honest (apart from Hit And Run, which has a great 12" version) and it sort of sums up the 1976-79 period when disco became a bit samey. I still like it a lot though, so there you go. As with many of these albums from the period, it was probably more soul than it was disco too.

Secondary, 7 of 8

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